NORTH AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON COOPERATION FOR

CONSERVING MARINE WILDERNESS
LA CONSERVACION DEL WILDERNESS MARINO
CONSERVER LES MILIEUX SAUVAGES MARINS
NORTH AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON COOPERATION FOR WILDERNESS &
PROTECTED AREAS CONSERVATION
COMITE NORTEAMERICANO DE COOPERACION PARA LA CONSERVATION DE LAS
AREAS PROTEGIDAS Y SILVESTRES
COMITÉ INTERGOUVERNEMENTAL NORD-AMÉRICAIN POUR LA COOPÉRATION
SUR LA CONSERVATION DES MILIEUX SAUVAGES ET DES AIRES PROTÉGÉES
STATUS OF THIS DOCUMENT
At their annual meeting in November 2011, the
agency heads of the North American Committee
on Cooperation for Wilderness and Protected
Areas Conservation (NAWPA) accepted this
Conserving Marine Wilderness document as a
consensus vision subject to each agency’s and
country’s appropriate legislative, regulatory and
policy tools. They agreed that to the extent that
protecting marine wilderness depends on having
such tools in place that embrace wilderness
terminology, then generally establishing marine
wilderness protected areas or marine wilderness
as a portion of a marine protected area (MPA)
should be considered a NAWPA objective
achievable over the long term.
During a subsequent meeting in November
2012, the NAWPA Committee endorsed sharing
the Conserving Marine Wilderness vision at the
10th World Wilderness Congress (WILD10) to
foster expanded international discussion of the
concept of marine wilderness.
STATUS DE ESTE DOCUMENTO
Durante su reunión anual en noviembre de 2011,
los directores de las agencias del Comité
Norteamericano de Cooperacion para la
Conservacion de las Areas Protegidas y
Silvestres (NAWPA), aceptaron el presente
documento sobre la Conservación del
Wilderness Marino como una visión de
consenso; sujeta a las políticas y herramientas
regulatorias y legislativas de cada país. Se
acordó en primer lugar, que la protección del
wilderness marino depende de tener dichas
herramientas funcionando y que utilicen la
terminología apropiada; y en segundo lugar, que
el establecimiento de áreas protegidas o áreas
marinas con las características wilderness como
una parte de un área marina protegidas (AMP)
debe considerarse como un objetivo alcanzable a
largo plazo del NAWPA.
Durante una reunión posterior en noviembre de
2012, el Comité de NAWPA autorizó compartir
la visión de Conservación de Wilderness Marino
en el decimo Congreso Mundial Wilderness |o
de Areas Silvestres (WILD10) para promover
una discusión internacional del concepto del
wilderness marino.
RECONNAISSANCE DU PRÉSENT
DOCUMENT
Dans le cadre de leur réunion annuelle tenue en
novembre 2011, les dirigeants des organismes
membres du Comité intergouvernemental Nordaméricain pour la coopération sur la
conservation des milieux sauvages et des aires
protégées (NAWPA) ont accepté par consensus
la vision de la conservation des milieux
sauvages marins donnée dans le présent
document, sous réserve des lois, des règlements
et des politiques en vigueur au sein de chaque
organisme et pays membre. Il a été convenu que,
dans la mesure où la protection des milieux
sauvages marins dépend de l’existence de ce
type d’outils pour préciser la terminologie
propre au domaine, la création d’aires de
protection des milieux sauvages marins ou
l’intégration des milieux sauvages marins aux
aires marines protégées (AMP) existantes
devrait généralement être considérée comme un
objectif du NAWPA réalisable à long terme.
Au cours d’une réunion subséquente organisée
en novembre 2012, les membres du NAWPA
ont convenu de partager la vision de la
conservation des milieux sauvages marins dans
le cadre du dixième Congrès mondial sur les
milieux sauvages (WILD10) afin d’accroître
l’intérêt de la communauté internationale à
l’égard de la notion de milieu sauvage marin.
Credits:
Although this discussion document does not
have policy status within member agencies of
NAWPA, it has been authored and reviewed
primarily by the following contributors within
them and the WILD Foundation.
CONANP: Natalie Rodriguez Dowdell, Carlos
Garcia Sáez
Parks Canada Agency: Doug Yurick
US Fish and Wildlife Service: Nancy Roeper,
Andrew Gude, Bret Wolfe
US National Park Service: Cliff McCreedy, Jeff
Cross
WILD Foundation: Julie Anton Randall
NORTH AMERICAN COMMITTEE ON COOPERATION FOR
WILDERNESS & PROTECTED AREAS CONSERVATION
CONSERVING MARINE WILDERNESS
Marine Wilderness Working Group Consensus Version
PREAMBLE
Marine wilderness is a topic of interest to the
seven government agencies1 that signed the
North American Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) on Cooperation for Wilderness
Conservation at the 9th World Wilderness
Congress (WILD9) in Merida, Mexico in
November 2009. [The title of the MOU was
subsequently revised in 2010 to North American
Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on
Cooperation for Wilderness Conservation and
Protected Areas and activity under it is led by
the agency heads-level North American
Committee on Cooperation for Wilderness and
Protected Areas Conservation (NAWPA
Committee)]. Six of the seven agencies manage
protected areas. The MOU broadly recognizes
that marine and coastal areas are included in any
reference to “wilderness” within the document:
“while the concept of wilderness varies
among the Participants, it is generally
considered to be land, marine and
coastal areas that exist in a natural state
or are capable of being returned to a
natural state, are treasured for their
intrinsic value, and offer opportunities
to experience natural heritage places
through activities that require few, if
any, rudimentary facilities or services.”
1
Parks Canada Agency, the Mexican Comisión
Nacional de Áreas Naturales Protegidas
(CONANP), the US National Park Service, the
US Fish and Wildlife Service, the US Forest
Service, the US Bureau of Land Management
and the US Department of Agriculture Office of
Environmental Markets.
1
Wilderness can be legally designated as such in
the United States in accordance with the 1964
Wilderness Act. In Canada, wilderness areas can
be designated by regulation within national
parks under the Canada National Parks Act but
no similar provision is available for marine
protected areas. In Mexico, the specific term
“wilderness” (or tierras silvestres) does not exist
by law, but core areas of national parks and
biosphere reserves can be managed to sustain
wild nature.
A Marine Wilderness Working Group was
among working groups established by the
NAWPA Committee and determined that a
primary task should be to pursue a common
definition and management objectives for
marine wilderness among the participating
agencies.
As a starting point, the working group used a
draft marine wilderness concept authored
originally by the US Fish and Wildlife Service
and The WILD Foundation, coordinator of an
existing informal Marine Wilderness
Collaborative of stakeholders (government
agencies, NGOs, scientists, indigenous groups,
and others). Over months of regular discussion
with the consistent involvement of expert
colleagues from five NAWPA Committee
agencies, the working group developed this
consensus version of a new marine wilderness
concept paper.
The working group’s concept of marine
wilderness as laid out in this document offers
insight into what is meant by the term “marine
wilderness” and the purpose of setting
management objectives for marine conservation.
It also clarifies that marine protected areas
(MPAs) as management tools can encompass the
conservation of marine wilderness without
necessarily requiring the designation of a new
category of MPA. It is noted that each country,
through its own legislative framework and
existing MPA categories, can identify which
Channel Islands National Park, USA
Marine wilderness must be thought of as three-dimensional.
Photo credit: Jim Knowlton
PREAMBULO
El tema de las áreas silvestres (wilderness)
marinas es del interés de las siete agencias
gubernamentales2 que firmaron el Memorandum
de Entendimiento (MDE) de la Cooperación
para la Conservación de Áreas Silvestres de
Norte América durante el noveno congreso de
Areas Silvestres (Wild9) en Mérida, México en
noviembre de 2009. [El título de del MDE fue
revisado posteriormente en 2010 y cambio su
nombre a Memorandum de Entendimiento
(MDE) para la Cooperación en la Conservación
de Areas Silvestres y otras Areas Protegidas de
Norte América, bajo el liderazgo de los
directores de las agencias del Comité de Norte
América de Cooperación para la Conservación
MPAs or parts of MPAs can encompass the
conservation of marine wilderness.
Proposed Lancaster Sound NMCA, Canada
In the Arctic, marine wilderness is strikingly different in
summer and winter. Photo credit: Mario Cyr
de las Areas Silvestres y otras Areas Protegidas
(Comité NAWPA)]. Seis de las siete agencias
administran áreas protegidas. El MDE reconoce
en general que las áreas marinas y costeras están
incluidas en toda referencia a “silvestre” dentro
del documento:
“El concepto de silvestre varía entre los
Participantes, aunque se considera que
se refiere a áreas terrestres, marinas y
costeras que existen en un estado
natural o que son capaces de regresar a
un estado natura;, son consideradas
especialmente por sus valores
intrínsecos y ofrecen oportunidades de
conocer lugares que son patrimonio
natural a través de actividades que
requieren servicios e infraestructura
poco sofisticada, si es que la requieren”
2
Parks Canada Agency, la Comisión Nacional
de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) de
México, el US National Parks Service, el US
Fish and Wildlife Service, el US Forest Service,
el US Bureau of Land Management y el US
Department of Agriculture Office of Ecosystem
Services and Markets.
2
Un Area Silvestre puede ser designada
legalmente como tal en los Estados Unidos
dentro de la Wilderness Act de 1964. En Canadá,
estas áreas pueden ser designadas a través de
ciertas regulaciones dentro de los parques
nacionales bajo la Canada National Parks Act,
no existe una figura similar para las áreas
marinas protegidas. En México, el término
“wilderness” (áreas o tierras silvestres) no existe
en la ley, pero áreas núcleo de los parques
nacionales y reservas de la biosfera pueden
manejarse de tal forma que contengan áreas
silvestres.
Un Grupo de Trabajo sobre Areas Marinas
(wilderness) fue establecido entre otros, por el
comité NAWPA y determinó que su primera
tarea sería buscar una definición y objetivos de
manejo comunes para las áreas marinas
(wilderness) entre las agencias participantes.
Como punto de partida, el grupo de trabajo uso
un borrador del concepto elaborado por el US
Fish and Wildlife Service y la WILD
Foundation, coordinadores de un grupo de
interesados en el tema (Marine Wilderness
Collaborative) compuesto de agencias
gubernamentales, ONGs, científicos, grupos
indígenas y otros. A lo largo de meses de
discusión con el involucramiento de expertos de
los cinco comités de las agencias que colaboran
en NAWPA, el grupo desarrollo una versión
consensuada de un nuevo documento
conceptual.
El concepto de “marine wilderness”
desarrollado por el grupo, presentado en este
documento, ofrece un análisis y una visión de
lo que es el concepto propuesto de “marine
wilderness” y el propósito de fijar objetivos de
manejo para la conservación marina. De igual
manera clarifica que las Areas Marinas
Protegidas (AMP) son herramientas de manejo
que pueden incluir la conservación de “marine
wilderness” sin requerir necesariamente una
nueva designación de categoría de manejo. Se
enfatiza, que cada país, a través de su propio
sistema legal y las categorías de AMP
existentes, puede identificar cuales AMP o parte
de ellas pueden incluir la conservación del
“marine wilderness”.
3
PRÉAMBULE
Les milieux sauvages marins sont un sujet
d’intérêt pour les sept organismes
gouvernementaux3 qui ont signé le protocole
d’entente nord-américain pour la coopération sur
la conservation des milieux sauvages lors du
neuvième Congrès mondial sur les milieux
sauvages (WILD9), tenu à Mérida, au Mexique,
en novembre 2009. [Depuis 2010, le protocole
d’entente s’étend également aux aires protégées.
Les mesures entreprises dans le cadre du
protocole sont menées par les dirigeants des
organismes qui composent le Comité
intergouvernemental nord-américain pour la
coopération sur la conservation des milieux
sauvages et des aires protégées (NAWPA)]. Six
des sept organismes membres gèrent des aires
protégées. Dans le protocole d’entente, on
convient généralement que le terme « milieu
sauvage » englobe les aires marines et côtières.
« La notion de milieu sauvage varie en
fonction des participants, mais elle désigne
généralement toute aire terrestre, marine ou
côtière qui existe à l’état naturel ou qui
pourrait être ramenée à l’état naturel, qui
est importante en raison de sa valeur
intrinsèque et dans laquelle il est possible de
découvrir des trésors du patrimoine naturel
dans le cadre d’activités ne nécessitant que
peu d’installations ou de services
rudimentaires, voire pas du tout. »
[Traduction]
Aux États-Unis, un milieu sauvage peut être
désigné légalement en vertu de la Wilderness Act
de 1964. Au Canada, un milieu sauvage peut
être désigné « réserve intégrale » en vertu de la
Loi sur les parcs nationaux du Canada s’il est
situé dans un parc national, mais aucune
3
L’Agence Parcs Canada; la Comisión Nacional
de Áreas Naturales Protegidas (CONANP) du
Mexique; ainsi que le National Park Service, le
Fish and Wildlife Service, le Forest Service, le
Bureau of Land Management et l’Office of
Environmental Markets du département de
l’Agriculture des États-Unis
disposition semblable ne s’applique aux aires
marines protégées. Au Mexique, les milieux
sauvages (tierras silvestres) ne sont pas définis
par la loi, mais les zones centrales des parcs
nationaux et des réserves de la biosphère
peuvent être gérées de façon à assurer la
durabilité de la nature sauvage.
Le NAWPA a mis sur pied un certain nombre de
groupes de travail, dont un sur la conservation
des milieux sauvages marins. L’une des
premières tâches du groupe de travail a été
d’établir un consensus entre les organismes
membres quant à la définition d’un milieu
sauvage marin et aux objectifs de gestion de ces
milieux.
Comme point de départ, les membres du groupe
de travail se sont fondés sur une ébauche de
définition de milieu sauvage marin formulée
initialement par le Fish and Wildlife Service des
États-Unis et la fondation WILD, qui coordonne
un comité informel sur les milieux sauvages
marins composé de divers intervenants, dont des
organismes gouvernementaux et non
gouvernementaux, des scientifiques et des
groupes autochtones. Au terme de plusieurs
mois de discussions régulières auxquelles ont
pris part des collègues spécialistes de cinq
organismes membres du NAWPA, le groupe de
travail a établi la présente version consensuelle
de la notion de milieu sauvage marin.
La notion de milieu sauvage marin, telle qu’elle
est exposée dans le présent document, précise ce
que l’on entend par « milieu sauvage marin » et
décrit la pertinence d’établir des objectifs de
gestion en matière de conservation des milieux
marins. Elle clarifie également le fait que les
aires marines protégées (AMP), comme outils de
gestion, peuvent également assurer la
conservation des milieux sauvages marins sans
qu’il ne soit nécessaire de désigner une nouvelle
catégorie d’AMP. Il est établi que chaque pays,
par l’entremise de son propre cadre législatif et
de ses catégories d’AMP établies, pourra
déterminer les AMP ou les zones d’AMP qui
assureront la conservation des milieux sauvages
marins.
Several species of shorebirds in North America depend on marine wilderness areas during their seasonal migrations
between breeding and wintering locations. Photo credit: Ed Pivorun
4
THE NEED TO PROTECT
MARINE WILDERNESS
Healthy, self-sustaining, ecologically intact
coastal and ocean ecosystems containing
natural assemblages of plants and animals
are critical to sustain marine life and the
reproduction of species upon which many
humans depend. Oceans and associated
coastal areas such as estuaries, coral reefs,
mangroves and marshes provide many
ecosystem services such as providing habitat
for biodiversity, functioning as effective and
natural carbon sinks, and mitigating storm
damage and sea level change. Seasonal and
year-round ice-covered areas support icedependent biodiversity and help mitigate
storm events. Maintaining the ecological
integrity of these diverse ocean and coastal
areas will increase resilience to disturbance
and enhance their adaptation to climate
change.
The need for conserving marine wilderness
is greater than ever. The global ocean
comprises 70% of the Earth’s surface, yet
currently marine protected areas (MPAs)
safeguard only 1%, and only a fraction of
MPAs can be considered as including
marine wilderness.
In this document, “marine protected area”
and “MPA” mean any marine area that
meets the accepted international definition
of “protected area”: "A clearly defined
geographical space recognized, dedicated,
and managed, through legal or other
effective means, to achieve the long-term
conservation of nature with associated
ecosystem and cultural values”4. “Marine”
refers to the water column, seabed, and the
living and nonliving resources contained
therein, located in the open ocean, intertidal
4
IUCN definition of protected area (used
whether terrestrial or marine).
5
zones, estuaries, lagoons, certain large lakes,
mangroves, kelp forests, sea grass meadows,
coral reefs and other living hard bottoms,
soft-bottom habitats, and other vegetative
and non-vegetative resources for shelter and
spawning habitat for all aquatic or coastal
species, as well as associated coastal areas
and portions of continental shelves,
polynyas and land-fast ice edges, among
other ecological features of oceans.
Human activities that impact the marine
environment include but are not limited to:
unsustainable harvesting of marine life;
transportation; resource extraction;
exploration for and extraction of nonrenewable mineral and energy resources;
energy development; aquaculture; military
operations; and bioprospecting. Threats to
the marine environment that result from
human activity include: built infrastructure;
pollution, and non-native, invasive aquatic
organisms. The result is loss of marine
habitat and biodiversity, and disruption of
natural processes. Wider threats are now
posed by the impacts of climate change,
including warming water, ocean
acidification, and ecosystem and biome
shift.
The natural and cultural resources of a
marine environment may be protected in
perpetuity by national, state/provincial,
territorial, indigenous peoples’, communal
or local laws or regulations in MPAs.
MPAs in North America vary widely in
purpose, legal authority, agency providing
oversight, management approaches, level of
protection, and restrictions on human uses.
To date, MPAs have not been established to
explicitly protect wilderness values, and
many existing MPAs are unable to offer
protection of wilderness values due to how
and why they were established and the
compromises made to afford their protection
in some form of MPA or due to their
degradation prior to becoming an MPA.
Some of these MPAs may also be too
limited in geographic and/or ecological scale
to combine the full range of wilderness
attributes – ecologically intact, naturally
self-sustaining, and undeveloped; providing
for the expression of certain spiritual,
ethical, and aesthetic values; and allowing
for certain compatible traditional,
experiential, recreational, and scientific
uses.
However, there are existing MPAs and parts
of MPAs (e.g., core zone of a biosphere
reserve) that do offer protection of
wilderness values. These can serve as clear
examples of marine areas with ecologically
intact ecosystems that have management
goals which preserve the wild character and
nature of these special places. The need to
distinguish those MPAs, or parts of MPAs,
which conserve marine wilderness is
recognized to further advance marine
conservation around the world. Thus, the
term “marine wilderness protected areas”
(MWPAs) is suggested to encompass those
places, within the current legislation of each
country5. These MWPAs can ensure the
conservation of marine environments that
are under increasing human-caused harm to
their wild6 and natural character. By valuing
marine wilderness characteristics, and
applying the wilderness concept (as each
nation sees fit), these areas receive special
“Marine wilderness protected area” is
suggested as a term to distinguish those MPAs
or parts of MPAs which conserve wilderness.
Such a term will not require a new category of
MPA. In some legislative contexts, it could more
appropriately be implemented as one category of
MPA zoning, called “marine wilderness zones”
or something similar.
6
In the Mexican context, “wild” is understood
as natural (holistic concept for environment,
habitat, ecosystems, species within, in a natural
or well-conserved state).
5
6
recognition with respect to other, nonwilderness MPAs. MWPAs when combined
with watershed-based conservation
strategies for adjacent terrestrial areas
provide broader protection or restoration
potential for intact marine and estuarine
ecosystems.
Protecting marine wilderness would foster
maintaining biodiversity, ecological
integrity, and environmental health by
conserving key reproduction areas and
habitat critical to maintaining natural age
and sex structures of species, key foraging
grounds, ecologically important geological
and oceanographic habitat features, and
critical stopover habitat for migratory
species.
Undisturbed wild ocean ecosystems also
serve as important natural laboratories and
baseline areas for studying global and
regional climate change and other humaninduced impacts. They provide valuable
reference conditions, allowing scientific
study of the ecological functions and
processes of undisturbed areas and of the
socio-economic and cultural importance of
such places. This research will inform
conservation and restoration of endangered
ecosystems, including with respect to their
importance to society, and provide insights
into ways that ocean warming, acidification,
and sea-level rise might interact with other
threats to marine resources.
Protecting marine wilderness would also
protect the other tangible and intangible
aspects of wilderness character including
providing opportunities for appropriate and
compatible recreation that allows physical
and mental challenges, adventure, risk, and
reward; indigenous cultural and subsistence
practices; personal renewal, inspiration, a
sense of connection with nature, selfreliance, and solitude; and escape from the
pressures of modern society.
Preserving wilderness character and values
in a marine environment would allow us to
make a bequest of great magnitude for
future generations, perpetuating a link to our
shared wild marine heritage in North
America.
MARINE WILDERNESS DEFINITION
Marine wilderness areas are primarily intact,
self-sustaining, and undeveloped, with no
modern infrastructure, industrial activity, or
permanent or non-traditional human
habitation, including also areas capable of
being returned to a natural state. They retain
their intrinsically wild appearance and
character and are protected and managed to
preserve their ecological integrity, biological
diversity, and environmental health. In
marine wilderness, where the earth and its
community of life are uncontrolled by
humans and natural processes dominate,
humans use and enjoy the areas in ways that
are consistent with their wild character and
that leave the areas unimpaired for future
generations.
Marine wilderness also should be of
sufficient size to: perpetuate its protection
and use in a relatively unimpaired condition;
continue opportunities for compatible
subsistence uses and indigenous cultural
practices; allow low-impact, minimally
invasive educational and scientific research
activities that further the administrative or
educational objectives or scientific
knowledge of the wilderness area; and if
degraded, be capable of being restored or
rehabilitated to a wilderness state.
Management of wilderness focuses
primarily on human use and the internal and
external influences on an area’s naturalness
and solitude. Management generally does
not require manipulative activities, and
generally managers should only do what is
necessary to meet wilderness objectives and
use the minimum tools, enforcement and
7
other compliance measures to achieve those
objectives. As a management entity, (1)
marine wilderness areas in MPAs can be
stand-alone sites where the entire MPA is
considered a wilderness area, or (2) marine
wilderness can be a certain geographic
portion, or subarea, within a larger MPA.
Some MPAs have or will have areas within
their boundaries that are considered
wilderness areas, preserving and protecting a
wild character, even if not legally designated
as such. MPAs can be managed in such a
way that the management authorities have
the flexibility to work within their existing
mandates to make marine wilderness a part
of their conservation strategy.
MARINE WILDERNESS
STEWARDSHIP GOAL AND
OBJECTIVES
Each marine wilderness protected area
should be managed and protected according
to the condition of that area and as specified
by its legal authority, and according to a
management plan7 that is compatible with
the goal and objectives below:
GOAL - Protect , maintain and restore the
wilderness character of defined marine
areas by protecting their ecological
integrity, wild and natural appearance,
biodiversity, ecosystem processes, and
undeveloped quality and provide for the
human use and enjoyment of these areas
in ways that leaves them unimpaired.
Understood also as customized “marine
wilderness stewardship plan” in the US context.
7
OBJECTIVES
(1) Maintain or restore the ecological
integrity, wild and natural
appearance, biodiversity, and
ecosystem processes of marine
wilderness areas. Marine wilderness
should:
(a) Contribute to the health, biodiversity
and abundance of all living marine
and coastal resources.
(b) Conserve or restore the ecological
balance of the ecosystem and food
chain (predator-prey relationships) in
the marine environment.
(c) Contribute to ecosystem resilience to
climate change and human impacts,
such as land- and water-based
sources of pollution and
sedimentation.
(d) Avoid the loss of species, in
particular species on the IUCN Red
List or national lists of species at
risk.
(e) Protect the vital resting, feeding,
breeding and nesting areas of
resident and migratory species,
including invertebrates, fish,
amphibians, reptiles, seabirds, and
mammals and the anadromous
aquatic species that migrate inland.
(f) Protect the aquatic species upon
which some land mammals and birds
depend.
(2) Maintain and restore the undeveloped
quality of marine wilderness areas by:
(a) Prohibiting permanent structures or
fixtures, with the exception of
regulated navigation and mooring
structures necessary for human
safety or resource protection and
existing structures of historical
significance.
8
(b) Prohibiting permanent human
habitation except with respect to
traditional occupancy by indigenous
people or as provided for in treaties
or other formal arrangements with
them.
(c) Restricting use of motorized
equipment, motor vehicles, and
motorboats, landing of aircraft, and
other forms of mechanical transport
to the following as governed by the
Management Plan for each particular
marine wilderness area:
Emergency responses involving
the health and safety of persons
and wildlife within the area.
Public access for appropriate and
compatible recreational visits.
Temporary measures required by
the managing or partner agency
that will allow the lowest level of
intervention necessary to:
o Restore ecosystem balance
and biodiversity, including
the recovery of declined or
extirpated species;
o Control invasive species;
o Mitigate oil spills, remove
trash, fishing gear and other
debris, and eliminate other
human-caused pollution;
o Conduct scientific research
necessary to protect the
wilderness character of that
area.
(d) Allowing appropriate scientific
research, monitoring, inventory, and
mapping, including of climate
change effects, related to the
preservation of wilderness character.
(e) Protecting against the impacts of
necessary commercial shipping lanes
or customary commercial boat routes
between ports, protecting against the
impacts to fishing grounds and
protecting against the dumping of
sewage and other pollutants from
vessels. Area managers will work
with the commercial maritime
community to protect marine
wilderness areas.
(3) Maintain outstanding opportunities
for solitude and recreation, and
opportunities for education and
aesthetic enjoyment in marine
wilderness areas, within the context of
a management plan that:
(a) Protects living marine resources and
their habitats, oceanographic
processes and geologic features,
other natural features, and cultural
and historical heritage from harm,
harassment, or damage, from users
and watercraft.
(b) Provides for the human use, physical
and mental challenge, inspiration and
solitude, and enjoyment of marine
wilderness while leaving it
unimpaired.
Palmyra Atoll National Wildlife Refuge, USA
Pristine coral reefs are among the wild places
requiring protection.
Photo credit: Jim Maragos
9
(c) Prohibits commercial enterprise
except for those services that provide
certain compatible recreational uses
or fulfill other legislative wilderness
purposes of the area.
(4) Respect cultural and religious
practices of local indigenous people
within the confines of the definition
and management objectives and
consistent with wilderness character
and values as conveyed through the
management plan.
(a) Implement collaborative
management between government
agencies and those indigenous
people for whom all or some of the
marine wilderness area is within
their traditional territories.
(b) Respect the relevant cultural and
spiritual values of the marine
wilderness area, including sacred and
ancestral sites and ceremonial and
spiritual uses.
Cabo Pulmo National Park, Mexico
Protection here of the northern-most coral reef in the
eastern Pacific Ocean with the support of local people
provides an outstanding example of how a marine reserve
contributes to an increase of fish biomass.
Photo credit: Alejandro González, CONANP
(c) Incorporate oral
experiential/traditional experiential
indigenous knowledge of the
wilderness area along with social and
scientific knowledge in assessing,
planning, managing, and educating
about marine wilderness areas.
(d) Within the construct of the
Management Plan, allow for
traditional wilderness-based
lifestyles and customs, e.g.,
inhabiting at low density and using
resources sustainably.
(5) Manage marine wilderness following a
publicly transparent process that:
(a) Implements collaborative
management between government
agencies and communities.
(b) Permits government agencies to
manage the areas taking into
consideration the needs of the
communities and user groups who
use the natural resources within the
marine wilderness areas.
(c) Clearly demonstrates the necessity of
taking management action in
wilderness.
(d) Evaluates alternatives for
accomplishing proposed actions in
the wilderness.
(e) Results in the application of the
alternative that will have the least
impact on wilderness character and
values.
10